Why torrents (files) do not download: reasons and solution

User question

Hello.

Tell me why uTorrent might not download files at all? I've already tried different torrent trackers, different files - it still doesn't download, I don't know what to do. Tell me, at least something ...

Good day!

I think that you are not the first, you are not the last who faced such a problem. In general, usually, it is temporary and is more often associated with the fact that there are simply no people who distribute this file. But now an hour or two passes, a day, and the file (s) are not loaded ... (you need to do something ☝)

Let's try to fix this problem. Let's get started ...

👉 To help!

I also recommend that you read another article of mine on slow torrent downloads (perhaps you will learn something from it).

Reasons why torrents may not download

❶

There are no seeders (people who are distributing this file)

As I said above, the most banal and most common reason is the lack of seeds (i.e. you want to download some rare file that very few people distribute (or no one distributes at all)).

Usually, statistical data (how much it distributes, how much it pumps) is always shown next to the file description (unspoken rule: green numbers - the number of distributors, red - the number of pumpers).

File statistics

You can also find out about the number of seeds directly in the program itself, for example, in uTorrent. To do this, just select the downloaded file in it, and open the tab "Feasts" - you will see a list of IP addresses, their clients, download speed from each of them.

The more seeds there are in the distribution, the faster you can download the file. If the file is distributed by 1 ÷ 2 people. - it may not be downloaded at all, tk. not the fact that the torrent client will be able to establish a connection with them ...

Downloading a torrent - watching feasts

By the way, about the "interesting" statistics of trackers

Some torrent trackers in the description of certain files "misinterpret" the number of uploading (automatically increase them in order to induce you to download). In fact, instead of the shown 1000 people. distributors - there may be none! Therefore, it is not worth believing this data on every website.

❷

Rating system - you may have been limited!

Many torrent sites have a rating system that is formed on the basis of data: who downloaded how much, who shared how much.

The more you give away, the higher your rating rises. Which, by the way, is beneficial for torrent trackers, tk. if the person distributing the files is not encouraged in any way, then there will simply be nowhere to download something!

If you only download and never distribute anything -your rating, over time, will approach a critical point, and you may be blocked until you raise it to optimal values. These values are different for each torrent tracker - just check your profile, see statistics for warnings, etc. Check out the rules of your torrent tracker.

By the way, I will add on my own that most often the restrictions apply only to new torrents (i.e. you cannot even download them from the site and add them to uTorrent), and the old ones that you have already added to uTorrent are downloaded as usual ...

❸

The wrong version of uTorrent is selected (or a different program is needed altogether)

It is also worth adding that some torrent trackers have a certain limitation on the version of the torrent program used (for example, such and such clients work: uTorrent - only versions 3.0-3.5). Of course, if you have a different version, no one will give guarantees that it will work correctly ...

The message here is the same: check out the FAQ section and the rules of your torrent tracker. Most likely, the answer has already been given there ...

👉 By the way!

Try using non-uTorrent clients: BitSpirit, BitTorrent, MediaGet and others. Perhaps in them you will have everything loaded in normal mode ...

❹

Incorrect uTorrent settings (traffic limits, restrictions, etc.)

Torrents may not download due to incorrect settings in your torrent client (uTorrent). Consider, in particular, uTorrent itself.

First, open the program settings (you can press the combination of buttons Ctrl + P) and check the tab "Compound" .

If you don't have a checkmark "Into Firewall Exceptions" - put it on. Otherwise, the firewall can block the program's connections and prevent it from downloading files.

uTorrent: connection tab

Then check the tab "Speed" : is there a limitation. For example, I have a limit of 4250 KB / s, i.e. the download will go at about 4 MB / s. Set the value to "0" to remove the restriction altogether ...

uTorrent: speed tab

In the tab "Traffic limit" check that there is no bandwidth limitation (this function is useful for those who have a limited tariff, so as not to "eat" excess traffic).

uTorrent: tab limit

Actually, save the settings and try restarting the program. Has the download started?

By the way, in addition to the above, try to give your torrent the highest priority (especially if you are downloading several files, but one specific one is not loaded in any way). To change the priority, in uTorrent - just right-click on the desired torrent and select the desired one.

Also try enable push download. When any crash or error occurs - uTorrent stops downloading the file, but if you enable "Forced" - the download continues immediately ...

Note: to enable forced download - just right-click on the desired torrent: in the context menu, select it.

Turn on forced download

❺

Internet connection is blocked by firewall / antivirus

Often, when everything is in order with uTorrent and peers, and the program's connection to the Internet is blocked by the built-in Windows firewall (or your installed antivirus). Moreover, this happens quite often (in the previous step, by the way, I advised you to add the program to the firewall exception in the uTorrent settings).

In general, I recommend disabling the antivirus and firewall for the time of solving the problem. Usually, most antiviruses can be disabled through their tray icon next to the clock (in the screenshot below, disable Avast for 1 hour).

Disable Avast antivirus for 1 hour

As for the built-in firewall in Windows, go to 👉 Control Panel and open the tab "System and safety" ... Next open "Firewall" .

System and Security - Windows 10

Then, take a look at the menu on the left - there will be a link to enable and disable the firewall. Open it and turn it off.

Enable / Disable Firewall in Windows

After all the manipulations, check if the torrent download has started.

❻

Internet problem (ISP crashed)

Well, the last thing I wanted to dwell on in this article is problems with connecting to the Internet. It is possible that the provider has some kind of damage to the channel - which means you need to contact him, find out the reason!

By the way, also pay attention to whether there is Internet at all on your PC, whether at least sites are opened in the browser, are there any warnings in the tray that the Internet has disappeared (are there any exclamation marks or red crosses on the icon with the Internet).

👉 To help!

Wi-Fi without internet access: yellow exclamation icon in the tray is lit. Recommendations for resolving the error